Broadstairs: Dickens’ House Museum

Broadstairs is still pretty even in the rain as we found today! The last time I visited the Dickens House Museum was about 26 years ago, but the house still looked just as I remembered it, even if there seemed to be many more people and cars than previously!

According to one of the guides, Dickens was very fond of Broadstairs and regularly brought his family here on holiday, staying in larger and larger houses as his family grew. The building in which the museum is housed was not one of these, but is somewhere he often visited whilst staying in the town. Here, he and his son, Charley, would often have tea with its owner, Mary Pearson Strong, who gave Dickens the inspiration for Betsy Trotwood, the aunt of David Copperfield.

Miss Pearson Strong believed that she had the right to stop the donkey boys leading their animals across the land in front of her house and would rush out to chase them off whenever they appeared. Whilst working in the Albion Hotel next door, Dickens would often witness her efforts and so Mary became immortalised as Betsy Trotwood in ‘David Copperfield’. Since Mary was well known in the town of Broadstairs, however, Dickens relocated her house to Dover.

As well as being able to stand in the parlour where Dickens once had tea with Mary (see above), there are many Dickens related items as well as a number of his possessions on display, including a sideboard he purchased and his travelling writing desk. Although the museum is quite small, the very reasonable entrance fee (£4.50 for an adult) and the very enthusiastic, knowledgeable staff make this very worthwhile location for any Dickens’ lover to visit!

Regular talks are given by the volunteers who are very proud of the museum and Broadstairs, offering plenty of additional information. Our guide told us of a discovery he had made about something tucked into the writing desk which he learned of from his personal research, showing us pictures and sharing the full story. It was a most enjoyable visit!

Dickens’ House Museum,

2 Victoria Parade,

Broadstairs

CT10 1QS

You can read about The Dickens Museum at 48, Doughty Street, London here, Dickens birthplace here, Dickens in Exeter here, Cooling Churchyard (The Pip Graves) here and Dickens’ Rochester here.